Polish church reports abuse of 368 children by clergy over three-year period

Published June 28, 2021
The report released on Monday comes at a time when the Vatican is investigating reports of abuse and of a lack of reaction by church leaders in Poland. — AFP/File
The report released on Monday comes at a time when the Vatican is investigating reports of abuse and of a lack of reaction by church leaders in Poland. — AFP/File

In its latest report on the sexual abuse of minors, Poland’s Catholic Church says 292 clergymen allegedly abused 368 boys and girls from 2018 though 2020.

The report released on Monday comes at a time when the Vatican is investigating reports of abuse and of a lack of reaction by church leaders in Poland, a predominantly Catholic nation where the clergy enjoy special esteem.

The Vatican recently punished a few Polish bishops and archbishops for negligence and barred them from church and lay ceremonies. The Holy See is also investigating reports of negligence by retired Krakow archbishop, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who before that served as personal secretary to the late pope, St John Paul II.

At an online conference, the head of Poland’s Catholic Church, Archbishop Wojciech Polak, repeated his earlier apologies to the victims and asked for their forgiveness.

Monsignor Adam Zak, in charge of tracking down and preventing cases of clergy abuse of minors, stressed the need for greater awareness and prevention because the number of recent reports remains high.

The church’s first report, for 1990-2018, listed cases of 382 clergymen having allegedly abused 625 minors. The names of 42 of the clergymen reappear in the latest report, compiled by the church statistical office from data from all dioceses.

Opinion

Editorial

Peshawar meeting
Updated 16 Jan, 2025

Peshawar meeting

Dealing with Afghan Taliban is necessary not just for internal stability, but to ensure that Afghanistan not isolated regionally.
Cyber circus
16 Jan, 2025

Cyber circus

PAKISTAN’S cybercrime-fighting apparatus is proving rather good at harassing journalists and remarkably poor at...
Anti-abuse action
16 Jan, 2025

Anti-abuse action

IN what is a social minefield for women, the Punjab police investigation department’s decision to deploy 1,450...
Missing justice
Updated 15 Jan, 2025

Missing justice

SC must at least ensure missing persons cases are heard with the urgency they deserve.
Racist talk
15 Jan, 2025

Racist talk

WHEN racist tropes are amplified by the expansive reach of social media, the affected communities face real-world...
Faceless customs
15 Jan, 2025

Faceless customs

THE launch of the faceless customs assessment system as part of the government’s Tax Transformation Plan is a...